Lets Not Call It Fate
by oweleyes
Summary: Shin knows that to win Kumiko's heart, he first has to be her equal. This is what happens when he reaches that goal.
1. Chapter 1

Lets not call it Fate…..

"I love you Kumiko." Shin looked at her from across the table, the remains of his "Good-Luck & Sayonara" party littering the table. The rest of the family having left hours ago to sleep off the large amounts of sake they had consumed in his honor.

Her response didn't surprise him. Her eyes wide, and her soft pink mouth opened slightly in surprise. "What?!?"

"I know I am being foolish in telling you this, but I couldn't leave without saying it out loud." Shin stood and walked to the other side of the table, and slowly, as if afraid of startling her, helped her to stand up. The little space between their bodies felt like it was burning him.

He looked into her eyes and said it one more time. "I am in love with you" he leaned in slowly, and gently as if she was a precious blossom, he kissed her.

His heart was pounding like if he was running for his life, but the rest of him was calm. This was the one he belonged with. No matter what anyone else had to say.

"I am leaving tomorrow, I don't know when I'll be back, but I wanted you to know that. Please take good care of yourself." Shin turned to leave the Ooedo Clan's house, not knowing what the future would hold.

**2 years later....**

The night was cool, the New York air felt good on his face as he walked home from the library. The light and noise of the city fading into the background as he walked briskly, immersed in his thoughts.

Tomorrow was the last test for the semester, and in less than a year he would graduate from NYU, 2 semesters earlier than expected. Not bad for a Shirokin Gakuen graduate.

Who would have thought that his volunteer work in Africa would lead him to a scholarship from NYU in America? All because he helped shed light on a cowardly operation.

He was working with a volunteer group to bring drinkable water to the village, and help the women devastated by their country's ongoing wars build homes for their families.

The men from the volunteer company he was there with was exhorting money from the local businesses. Helping to keep the people poor and using their poverty to continue receiving donations from across the world.

Thinking about the abuse of power that lead to so many people's misery made him angry. It was thugs like these that gave the yakuza a bad name.

Kumiko….it was impossible to think of the yakuza without thinking about her. After all this time, his heart felt the bruise she left, and he doubted that would ever change. "I wonder if she got married…"

That thought stopped him short.

"No, I didn't think that." He had resolved to let that door stay closed until he could return to Japan as her equal. He took a few deep breaths to loosen the knot in his stomach. It was then that he heard the scream.

"No, don't touch her!" The desperation and anger in the man's voice was tangible.

"Dad!"

The sounds of fighting could be heard in the alley, and his instincts screamed for him to help. Shin took off in a sprint, and there at the end of an alley, was a man surrounded by three men and by the look in their eyes they were intent in taking the girl by force. The only thing stopping them was the father, with a death glare in his eyes and a katana in his hands.

"Just give us the girl and no one gets hurt." The tallest thug demanded from the father.

"I'm not going to do that, so just leave before I cut you to pieces" The dad held tightly to the sword, meaning what he said, but by looking at him, Shin could tell that the man had no idea how to use the sword. He was about to use his phone to call the cops, when out of the shadows, a rock flew fast and hit the man on the head, rendering him unconscious.

It happened so fast that even the thugs were surprised, and they were as startled as Shin when a man stepped out of the shadows, smirking at them.

"Fools, you can't even handle a simple snatch job." He stopped under the light and Shin recognized the type. He was en enforcer – probably freelancer – and working for the highest bidder; a thug that knew nothing of honor, or the value of life. Without any further thought, Shin walked into the alley, his blood boiling with rage. It was people like this that he hated.

"Hey," Shin said, none of the rage surging through him tinted the tone of his voice, "leave those people alone."

He looked at the thugs, all four of them looking at him like if he was a mirage. The girl, no older than ten, was still unaware of him, she was sobbing over the prone body of her father, calling him, begging him to wake up, but there was no response from him.

Shin walked calmly to the dad and checked for a pulse on his neck. It was strong, but he wasn't going to get up anytime soon. He picked up the katana and stood in front of the men. Then finally he got a reaction from them.

"Don't make me laugh kid, a wimp like you is willing to get killed for playing hero?" The rock-throwing thug laughed at him. The other three began moving in closer, the smirks in their faces told him they were already celebrating their victory.

"We are going to take her, do what we want, and there is nothing that you can do about it." The rock-man lined up with the other three, and as if that was their cue, they rushed him.

Shin barely had time to bring the sword up and slash it across their faces. That was the quickest way to let them know he meant business.

"You will not hurt them, I wont allow it." Shin stood his ground.

"Who are you?" The rocky man said.

"Like you said, I am a kid playing hero." Shin widened his stance and held the sword ready for their attack.

The thugs saw that he was serious, and took out their weapons. Fortunately for Shin none of them seemed to have any firepower, but the serrated, Rambo looking knives they brought out would rip him to pieces if he dropped his guard.

It was four to one, and he hadn't used a katana in years, but he knew, with all that was in him, that he couldn't allow the little girl to be taken.

"OK, hero," the rock-man said "if that's how you want it."

All four of them attacked again, but Shin was ready this time, and went on the offensive. The katana slashed through the thugs like a hot knife through butter. The back of his mind registering that this was a real Samurai Sword, made of the "Jewel Steel" called Tamahagane. Useless information at the time, but yet it made him feel better knowing he had one of the best weapons of the world.

The fight was fast, he slashed through the three thugs fast, and they laid bloody and unconscious at his feet, but rock-man was still hanging back; the insufferable smirk still on his face. Shin looked at him, knowing things were about to change.

"Stupid kid, you think that you can protect someone with that knife? Don't you know what guns are for?" Saying that he took at a pistol and aimed it at him, but Shin, ignoring the threat of the gun looked right at him.

"If you don't put that away, you are going to regret it." His voice as calm as ever, a contrast to the determined glint in his eyes.

The screeching of tires, and the thumps of men running, distracted rock-man. It was the moment Shin needed, and he sprang.

Like a lion on a pray.

The impact of the sword slicing through skin jarred his arm, but he held tighter to the sword, pulling it out in one swift move, his focus already on the men that had just arrived.

The light was shining behind the three of them, Shin standing protectively over the child and her dad, and his red hair wild, waving like a flag in the night air. He took a deep breath and met the gazes of the newly arrived men. "I will not allow them to get hurt, leave now and take this trash with you."

None of the men moved, but from the back, and incredulous voice was heard.

"Young Master Red Lion?!?"

Shin hadn't been called that in years, but the voice was unmistakable. "Kyo-San?"

The men parted, and into the light stepped the scared chief of the Ooedo Clan. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.


	2. Chapter 2

_Not mine, but thank you for reading._

***

Chapter 2

To those present, the scene seemed surreal. There, protecting the family they were frantically trying to rescue, was a samurai.

His wild red hair flapping in the wind, the katana held ready to defend.

"Kyo" the samurai said, "is it really you?"

Kyo wasn't looking at Shin, but at the man and the little girl. "Come here Kami, let the guys take a look at your dad."

The little girl ran into Kyo's arms, and he held her closely, the relief on his face showing clearly and without reservations. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest, her sobs getting quieter.

The sound of sirens approaching mobilized the rest of the men. The dad was taken, presumably to a hospital, and the bodies were picked up. Shin felt a pang of guilt knowing that he was responsible for those deaths, but he didn't feel regret. Regret was for things that were wrong. Saving a life was never a bad thing.

"Red Lion" Kyo spoke and he turned his attention to the man. "Lets go before anything else happens."

Shin picked up the sheath and put the sword in it, making a mental note to clean the sword properly as soon as possible, and at the last moment, he remembered to pick up his book bag before following Kyo to a black SUV. He wondered what the hell happened and why in the world was Kyo in New York. Did that mean that Kumiko was here as well?

He stopped that thought, and instead he got in the passenger side of Kyo's car, placing the Katana carefully beside him. Some men got in the back seats, but he didn't recognize any of them, where they also from the Ooedo Clan?

To his surprise, Kyo placed the sleeping girl in his arms, and then stepped around the car to the driver's side. The sirens sounded close, but within seconds they were already speeding out of the area.

Shin was burning with questions, the tense atmosphere in the car adding to the list, but a look from Kyo silenced him. Whatever was happening, it wasn't over.

They rode through the city in silence, the tall buildings giving way to a residential area, and eventually to large estates. The ride seemed to be quick, but they must have been riding for over an hour. What in the world were they doing here? This was not a usual location for the yakuza.

They finally pulled up to black gates, and it appeared that they were expected, because almost immediately they began to open up. It was at least a half mile of road before they reached the house, and Shin noticed that the closer they got to the house, the tension got thicker in the car. He threw another look at Kyo, but his face was calm. Whatever it was, at least it didn't appear to be life threatening.

"Ok guys, finish the clean up and report to me when you're done." Kyo looked at the guys through the rearview mirror and glared "If you talk to anyone else before talking to me, be prepared to loose a finger."

They stopped right at the front of the house and everyone scrambled out to carry out their mission. There was no indecision in their faces, almost as if they were used to this sort of thing, that made for a very uncomfortable thought but this was the yakuza he was talking about.

Shin handed Kyo the girl, picked up his stuff and followed him into the mansion. It was time to get a few more pieces of this puzzle.

"This is the home of the Yamaguchi-gumi, they are brothers of the Ooedo Clan. Allow them to assume you don't know English until I tell you it's ok." Kyo strode through the house towards the back were you could hear several people talking loudly.

"No, this is just proof that…." The tall man with a bald head stopped talking as they walked into the huge dinning room. There were over about ten guys around the table, and a sobbing woman sitting silently at the head. She looked up when Baldy stopped talking.

"Kami!" The woman ran up and took the little girl from Kyo. "Is she hurt? Where is Tamiku? Did they hurt him? Why isn't he here? Please tell me he is ok!" Her rapid fire questions contrasted with the gentle manner she was holding the little girl, but the anguish in her eyes couldn't be mistaken.

"They are both fine, and we captured the traitors. Go and take care of Kami, I'll handle the rest." Kyo patted the little girl's hair before the woman took her. He then turned his attention to the rest of the men in the room. His face reflected so much anger, that even Shin, who knew the anger wasn't targeted at him, felt his stomach clench.

"Kami was taken from the school grounds." Kyo looked at baldy "you were responsible for her safety, and you failed. If there is something you can say in your defense, say it now." Kyo took the katana from Shin's hands and walked around the table. The other members stilled, as if afraid to call attention to themselves.

"What, this wasn't my fault! How am I responsible for an entire school's security?" Baldy took a step back, his eyes wide with fear.

"You were the assigned bodyguard of the clan's Ojou, you should be willing to give up your life for her." Kyo's anger seemed to increase exponentially with every word the spoke. "With her rests the future of the clan, and when you learn of her disappearance, instead of moving heaven and earth to find her and punish those offenders, you come back to the house and try to convince the rest of the kumi that Tamiku is not the rightful leader of the clan."

The others shifted in their seats, but still none of them said anything to defend baldy. Shin looked around the room at the others. They all looked like mild mannered businessmen, but Shin still wondered how they could all just sit there when their own ojou was missing, and from the looks of things, their own boss was as well. He knew that if this was the Ooedo clan, the city would have been turned over to find Kumiko. Hell, the city was almost turned over to find him when he was kidnapped, and he had no connection to the clan.

He owed a lot to those guys. It was because of things like that he began to realize that the Yakuza weren't only a gang of mindless thugs that thought nothing of society and laws. Instead they were men who had their own code of honor, and in many instances a lot more moralistic than the rest of civilization.

"Well, I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking," Baldy finally spoke up "Tamiku has no strength to lead, he can't even keep his own child safe, how can he keep the clan together."

"Enough" Kyo unsheathed the sword, "I shouldn't have to explain something so basic to you, but you swore to follow him, and obey him. You did not, there is no defense, and there is no forgiveness." Kyo placed the tip of the sword on Baldy's chest "but maybe there is mercy….if you confess."

"Confess?!" Baldy's voice shook with fear "what do you want me to confess? I did nothing wrong, I swear on the souls of my ancestors!"

"You think we wouldn't figure it out?" Kyo screamed at him "You called Kintauro before you left the house, it was him that took Kami, and it was him that injured Tamiku. If it wasn't for my guys that found him in time, he would be dead now. So start talking"

"I had to do it." Baldy looked at the ground, his voice almost a whisper. "No one had anything else to do with it, I just wanted a strong leader, and thought this was the best way. No one was supposed to be hurt. Kintauro promised when I spoke to him." The silence in the room was tangible, all the occupants waiting for the verdict.

"I don't believe you." Kyo stepped back and lowered the sword. "So for now, I'm putting you in ice until I get what I want from you." He signaled to two of the guys on the table. "You know what to do, and if you don't get that information, be prepared to join him."

Baldy allowed himself to be dragged off, and Kyo turned his attention to the rest of the men. "Tomorrow there will be a clan meeting; it's time to stop with all of this nonsense. Set it up for 6pm, and tell everyone that if they aren't present then they'll be out." Kyo looked at Shin and then looked at the others, silently asking him to watch them, before leaving the room.

It seemed that none of them had really paid attention to Shin because some of them immediately began speaking in English to each other, as if he wasn't in the room. They complained how unfair it was that they were expected to play secretaries to a pampered wana-be boss and that Kyo was nobody they had to obey. Only three of them seemed unhappy with what the others were saying. It was those three that excused themselves to begin the preparations for the meeting, but only after stating without reservations that they were glad they had Tamiku as their boss.

Shin noticed that of those left speaking, a skinny guy in a blue suit kept shooting glances at the hallway that Kyo had disappeared through. Finally, as if gathering courage he told the others that there was a plan set up to get rid of Kyo that very night, and if all went well, tomorrow they could take control of the entire clan. The others got quiet, a malevolent smile in their faces that made him scared.

The sound of Kyo's footsteps approaching settled them, their countenance became grave once more, and they turned to look at Kyo entering the room.

"What are you doing here still?" Kyo growled at them. "Don't you have a lot of work to do?" That was their cue, and like scared rabbits, they all ran out of the room.

Shin couldn't keep back his amusement and smiled, but tried to hide it when Kyo noticed it; he motioned to follow, and turned to go further into the house.

They walked through extravagantly furnished rooms, and into a small office lined with books. Here Kyo closed the door behind them and motioned for Shin to take a seat.

"So, what did they say after I left?" He paced in front of Shin like a tiger in a cage, his anger barely contained as Shin told him everything he heard.

"Yeah, I found out about the assassination attempt yesterday and took care of that issue immediately." He rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. "Well, I guess that's that."

Shin finally lost his patience. "Kyo-San, what in the hell is going on? Who are these people and what are you doing here?"

Kyo looked up in surprise. It seemed that he had forgotten that Shin had accidentally gotten involved in this whole mess, and after a few seconds, his booming laugh filled the room.

"Shin, from the moment I met you I knew you were something special." He looked at him and shook his head.

"The Yamaguchi-gumi lost their Oyabun a couple of months ago; he died of a heart attack very suddenly. His son, Tamiku was next in line to take over the clan, but his training was never properly completed." Kyo took out a cigarette and offered one to Shin who waved it off, but motioned for Kyo to continue with the story.

"When Tamiku took over, there were certain factions that weren't happy and began making trouble. So he called his brothers of the Ooedo Clan for help. That's were we come in." He took a puff of the cigarette and settled into the chair next to Shin.

"The boss allowed me and a few guys to come and help even though none of us speaks English. That was because the woman you saw with Kami is my sister. Kami is my dear niece and she holds a special place in my heart, right next to Kumiko." Kyo looked into Shin's eyes, as if weighing his next words.

"Shin, to me you have felt like part of the family, even though neither you nor the clan have made that claim. You defended Kumiko with your life, and you defended Kami and Tamiku better that I could have. I would like to ask something more of you, but please be completely honest with me. The truthfulness of your answer will decide many things." Kyo took a last puff and flicked the cigarette butt into an ash-tray.

Shin saw how serious Kyo was being. Here before him was a chief of the Ooedo Clan. A man who made decisions for hundreds of men and took the mantle of leadership with ease, this was not the same man that he occasionally shared a meal or a sparing match with.

"I came here to help, but it is obvious now that what Tamiku does not need muscle to solve the problems of his kumi. He needs someone that can help bridge the gap between the old and the new, someone that he can trust, and more importantly someone that the Ooedo clan can trust." He looked directly at Shin before continuing.

"I know I can trust you." Kyo's eyes showed the truth of his words, and Shin couldn't help but be moved. "If you can stay here and help Tamiku, only for a year, I know that you can make the Ooedo Clan proud. I don't know what exactly is going on in your life, other than the fact that you are here to go to school, but I believe that you can help prevent further bloodshed." Kyo sat back and waited for Shin to answer.

Shin averted his eyes, and his mind processed all that he had heard and seen that night. He knew that if he accepted, he would be forever part of the Yakuza. That was not a decision that could be taken lightly. His life would not be completely his from the moment he took that step, but he also remembered from conversations around the dinner table that the Yamaguchi-gumi was a main factors in a quarter of the clan's business. If Tamiku did not fix these problems, then the clan would take a huge hit.

Shin took a deep breath and looked at Kyo. "If I agree, how will I know I am doing what is best."

Kyo smiled, relieved. "You saw what kind of men were out there today, by tomorrow most of them will be gone"

"What do you mean?"

Kyo just raised an eyebrow and smirked. "The only thing you need to do is assist Tamiku in anything he needs. He is smart and knows about the business, what he lacks is the confidence to lead. That is something that I think you can help provide."

Shin raised an eyebrow, skeptical at Kyo's words. "What makes you say that?"

Here Kyo couldn't keep back a smile. "Out of all the men I have ever met, you are the only one that can control Ojou."

"That's it? That is the only reason?" Shin's doubts began to surface, that wasn't a good enough reason.

"Kid, that's no small thing. The Ooedo Clan is made up of hundreds of people, and not a single one amongst them can do what you can. You can get her to stop and think before blindly rushing in to trouble. You can stop her when she gets enraged, and most importantly of all, when you speak, she listens." Kyo shook his head as if not believing he was about to say.

"There is another reason, but it has nothing to do with this situation." Kyo said. "If you agree to do this, then you will be accepted into the clan, and finally approach ojou as an equal."

Shin's heart jumped. "What do you mean?"

"Don't act dumb, it doesn't suit you." Kyo smirked. "Why haven't you asked me about her?"

"I haven't asked because I'm afraid of what I'll hear. I don't know if I could bear it if I find out she is finally out of my reach." Shin looked at his hands, desperately trying to hide the emotion in his eyes.

"Shinohara asked for her hand in marriage, but she quickly turned him down."

Shin looked up, surprised at what he heard. "?!?"

"Yeah, we were surprised too, but when he asked why not, Ojou said that a man that wanted a woman to abandon her family was not a man for her." Kyo sounded like a proud father. "She said that the man that loved her would take her exactly as she is, and that she would wait for that man regardless of how long it took."

"She really said that?" Shin's heart began to warm with hope.

"Yeah. What made it even better was that we all knew that she was talking about you."

"How did you know she was talking about me?"

"Because we all heard what you said the night you left, and because since then Ojou has compared every man she meets to you."

The warm glow in his chest continued to grow until he couldn't help but smile. He met the smiling eyes of Kyo-San.

"So, how do I join the Ooedo Clan and help Tamiku with this ordeal?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Please review._

_Otherwise it feels like I'm talking to myself._

_Thank you._

**Disclaimer: **None of this belongs to me; I'm just playing with someone else's toys.

***

Chapter 3.

Shin's head was pounding as he walked out of the hotel, the negotiations with the Asagi Clan had gone as he predicted, but just barely, and just in time too. He was scheduled to leave Okinawa early the next morning and meet Tamiku in San Francisco.

It had only been six months since they met, but he felt like a completely different man. Since the time they began working together, Shin has done and seen more than he thought possible. His classes in NYU seemed like child's play in comparison to the work he was accomplishing for the Clans.

Like the deal he just made. It re-drew some of the boundaries in the area, allowing the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Ooedo Clan to move around the docks without beginning any turf wars with the locals. All that was left was to formalize it.

Shin's stomach grumbled, reminding him that the last thing he had to eat was coffee and a bagel. His mouth began to water at the thought of some "real" food, not the imitation Japanese food he ate in New York.

He walked towards the business district, intent in finding his dinner when a group of guys knocked him to the ground as they were running by.

"Oi" Shin yelled at them, "how rude!"

He picked himself off, dusting his suit and checking that everything was in place, when he heard a second bunch of kids running in his direction. Probably giving chase to the first set of guys. Shin got as close to the wall as possible because it seemed that none of them even noticed him, but as they were running by he heard something that almost stopped his heart.

"They got Yankumi! Those bastards aren't going to get away with it…."

Shin took off after them, his instincts guiding him even when all rational thoughts told him that it was impossible for her to be here. Then again, when it came to that woman there was nothing he was willing to write off.

The kids seemed to be heading towards the docks, he could see the first set of guys up ahead going into a warehouse, and from the looks of it they didn't realize that they were being followed.

He reached out and grabbed one of the kids, he needed to get answers before he rushed in there blindly.

"What the hell?" The kid brought up his hands to throw a punch.

"Calm down kid, I'm here to help you" Shin looked at him hoping to recognize him, but nothing about him was familiar. "Are you from Shirokin?"

"Yeah" The kid turned to leave but Shin held on to his arm with a deathly grip.

"That teacher they have, is that Yamaguchi Kumiko?" Shin asked the questions, but he could feel the affirmative answer in his bones.

"Yeah, and they are going to hurt her if we don't get there soon."

They both took off running desperately trying to catch up to the others. They were now close enough that the sounds of fighting were echoing off the walls. It sounded like at least twenty people were in there, but as soon as they ran into the warehouse they stopped right in their tracks. There was Kumiko being supported by a couple of kids, and on the floor lying unconscious were her opponents, whoever they were supposed to be.

The kids all seemed glad that she was ok, and they were all smiling.

He should have known.

"How is it that you always get yourself in these situations" Shin said loud enough to be heard above the noise those kids were making.

Kumiko looked at him, it took only a couple of seconds until her eyes widened in recognition. "Shin?!?"

He walked up to her, his heart beating wildly. "You OK?"

She didn't respond, she just looked at him as if still not believing he was in front of her.

He looked at the guys holding her up. "Is she OK? Did anything happen to her?"

"She hurt her ankle, so she can't really walk." The skinny kid said.

Those words must have broken her out of her trance because the next thing he knew she punched him, hard. It was only luck that he didn't land flat on his ass, but he knew that the punch was going to leave a mark.

"Oi, what's the big idea?" Shin turned to glare at her, but then she threw herself into his arms.

"That was for saying those things and then leaving."

She threw herself at him and he was barely able to catch her. Her body was pressed up against his and her arms around his neck holding him tightly. He responded by holding on to her, one hand completely around her waist and the other buried in her hair, every one of his senses drowning in all that was her. In that one moment he felt complete.

"Hey, get a room!"

They both froze, remembering that they were surrounded by her students, in a warehouse with a floor littered with beat-up guys. Shin couldn't believe he had forgotten were he was, but when he looked down at her flushed face, he smirked. She was so cute when she got embarrassed.

"We should get out of here, get on my back, I'll give you a piggy-back ride to your hotel room." Shin bent his knees until she got on his back, then turned his attention to the rest of they guys. "So, were to?"

They all walked a couple of miles to the hotel. Kumiko was quiet the entire time, but Shin was very conscious of the way she held on to him, with her nose pressed against his neck, her lips gently touching him, almost accidentally. It took all of his self control to not press her up against the nearest wall and kiss her.

He needed a distraction.

"So, what exactly happened back there?" Shin directed his question to the group.

"Earlier today, when we were in the tour, these guys came out of nowhere and started a fight with us." A tall kid with high-lighted hair answered. "We think that they were trying to get our money, but they never got that far because Yankumi got rid of them."

"Stupid brats, they give thugs a bad name attacking that way in broad daylight." Kumiko spoke quietly into his ear and Shin just rolled his eyes, he missed her crazy ways.

"Ok, then how did they take her?"

"Well…"

Shin looked at their faces, most of them were flushed with embarrassment, and none of them seemed willing to answer.

"Just spit it out." Shin kept his eyes on the group until one of them gave in and answered.

"We snuck out of the hotel room to have some fun. Yankumi came after us and so we all ran in different directions, we already knew to meet at the park. We thought the plan had gone well until Soka called me on the cell phone."

Soka appeared to be the bald kid with glasses because he continued the story. "Yeah, I saw those guys from this morning knock her out from behind." He looked apologetically at Shin. "I know I should have stepped in and stopped them, but I was alone and they sacred the crap out of me."

Shin looked at Soka. "Hey, you called for help and you saved her; that was the best thing to do in those circumstances."

Soka nodded and continued the story. "So I followed them, while talking on the phone with Ryoga until they caught up, but when we got there most of the guys were already knocked out." He looked at Kumiko, his face scrunched up in confusion. "The rest you have to ask her, cause we don't know."

The guys were all looking at the woman on his back, and he could tell that she didn't have an explanation to give them because she was pretending to be asleep. He played along, but he knew the curiosity was going to kill those kids. She had better come up with a really good story to tell them.

"So, who are you?" Soka asked, and every guy turned to look at him, waiting for his answer.

"The name is Sawada Shin." He answered

"Ok, but how do you know Yankumi? Are you her boyfriend?"

Shin was barely able to control his reaction to the question; he knew that Yankumi wasn't really asleep, so he answered honestly. "Not yet."

"Didn't seem like you weren't her boyfriend, not by the way she hugged you." Ryoga looked at him suspiciously and the expressions on the other guy's faces said the same thing.

Shin just shrugged his shoulders, that question led to about a hundred other ones that he hoped she would answer. He turned his head and looked at her. Her eyes were closed, and her hair was loose tumbling over his chest, some of it was inside his shirt, tickling him, giving him the impression of intimacy.

He immediately curved those thoughts before the guys noticed.

They finally arrived to the hotel, it was a typical one used for school trips, and just seeing it brought back a lot of memories.

"Umm…" Shin stopped, and the rest of the guys turned to look at him. "Kumiko, do the other teachers know you guys aren't in your room?"

She shook her head, and then looked at her students. "I don't think so, but just in case, make sure you don't get caught going in, and make sure you stay in your rooms all night long or you will answer to me."

All the kids slipped in quietly and Shin waited until they were inside before following with Kumiko still on his back.

"Which one is your room?"

"First floor, room 115"

He was nervous, and it increased with each step he took. He was very aware of the fact that he was going to her room, and he had no intention of leaving immediately.

She handed him her key; he took her into the room and locked the door behind them. Shin saw her wince when she got down and tried to put weight on her foot; reminding him of why exactly she had to be carried all the way back.

"Let me take a look at that." Shin sat her down on the bed and kneeled in front of her, taking her injured foot carefully in his hands, he removed her shoe and sock then rolled up her pant leg to get a better look. The foot was swollen, but after careful inspection he noted that it at least wasn't broken.

His fingers traveled over the swollen area; then unconsciously, they traveled up her leg, moving in slow circles, getting lost in the feel of her skin.

"So how is it?"

For a second he though she was asking what he thought of her skin, but then of course he remembered that she was talking of her foot. He swallowed the first response, and looked up to meet her gaze.

"It's not broken, but you should still get it x-rayed to make sure it's not fractured." He took her other foot and removed the shoe and sock in an attempt to look busy. "Lie down and hand me the other pillow so that we can keep the foot elevated."

She obeyed without further question and Shin wondered how long she would keep it up as he busied himself with getting her comfortable. Once she was settled, he picked up the phone to call room service.

"Hello, this is room 115, can you please send up some aspirin and ice, and also two orders of udon."

"And ask for a couple of bottles of sake" Kumiko said.

"and three bottles of your best sake. Thank you" Shin hung up the phone and turned to look at her.

She had removed her glasses and was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "You really think its going to take three bottles of sake to get through this conversation?"

He ignored her question, because really, how was he supposed to respond? "I'm sorry to impose on you this way, but I've only had a coffee and a bagel all day long and I'm starving."

"That's all? That is very unlike you, what were you doing all day long that you didn't eat?" She looked at him carefully, noting for the first time how he was dressed. "What exactly are you doing in Okinawa?"

"Work, what else would I be doing here?" Shin turned his back to her to escape her gaze, and to remove his suit jacket and the wallet from his pants so that he could sit comfortably.

"You look good Shin."

"Thanks, but is that all you have to say to me after such a long time?"

He pulled the chair up to her bed, his knees almost touching the mattress. He wanted to reach over and hold her hand, but he felt inexplicably shy at that particular moment. So he clasped his hands over his knees and held on tightly.

"What you told me the night you left, was it the truth?" She asked.

"Yes."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door; their order had arrived. He grabbed his wallet and opened the door for the delivery guy, who very efficiently set up dinner on a folding table.

Shin paid for everything and added a generous tip. "If anyone asks, you never saw me. Do you understand?"

The guy just smiled at the size of the tip and nodded.

Shin turned to help Kumiko, but she was already sitting up, the bowl of soup balanced on her lap.

"Not like that dummy, you're going to get burned." He grabbed a towel from the shower and placed it on her lap. "There, at least the hot bowl wont burn your legs."

She looked at him, with an emotion in her eyes that he couldn't name, but nonetheless made his heart skip, then she turned back to the soup. He served himself some sake, drank the first cup, and served another one for each of them. She drank hers immediately and stretched her hand for a refill.

"Eat, before your stomach begins to hurt, your headache must really be bothering you by now."

Shin looked at her, surprised she would remember such a thing about him.

"What?" She said.

Shin didn't respond, but he put ice in the cloth napkin, tied it in a knot, and placed it on her swollen ankle. Then opened the package of aspirin, handed her two, and took two for himself, she was right, his headache was really bothering him.

The udon was delicious, and he ate it so fast that he considered ordering a second one.

"Here, eat this, and pass me the sake." Kumiko handed him her barely touched bowl and took the bottle. "You know, this is the first time we will share a drink."

"Yeah, you were stubborn about that before." He finished the second bowl and placed it on the nightstand, refilled his cup, and looked at her.

"So I hear that Shinohara asked you to marry him, and you said no."

"Yeah, that's what happened, but how did you hear about it?"

"Kyo-san told me"

"You call Kyo-san?" Kumiko looked surprised. "I didn't know that."

"You didn't?" Shin asked her, wondering how those guys were able to keep that information to themselves. She normally makes sure to know everything that is going on in the kumi, so how could she not know of his involvement with the Americans? He could expect something like this from Kyo, but not from Kumicho Kuroda.

"No, but maybe he hasn't had a chance to tell me. I haven't been spending a lot of time at home."

"So, why did you say no?"

Kumiko took another drink before answering. "…because I'm not a coward."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Everything" She looked at him like if he was an idiot.

"Explain" Shin was loosing his patience. "Please." He opened the second bottle of sake and filled up both of their cups.

"The kiss you gave me before you left, it made me feel like if everything that was in me, responded to you." She kept her eyes on her cup, her voice just shy of a whisper. "I thought that was because I had never been properly kissed, and that when the man I loved kissed me, it would feel a lot more meaningful."

"…but that didn't happen?"

"No, when he kissed me it felt wrong."

He filled their cups again; he wanted to keep her talking, his hopes that she loved him making him feel lightheaded. He was sure the sake had nothing to do with that.

She continued after taking a drink. "It took me a long time to figure out why, and I almost didn't until my grandfather said something that got me thinking. He told me that no one else can know my heart, so until I stopped being a coward and hiding from my feelings, I would continue to be confused."

Shin rose from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jar her foot, and took her hand, his eyes focused on their intertwined their fingers. "So, what was your heart saying?"

"That it missed you, and that it was glad that you loved me."

"but that doesn't mean that _you_ love me."

"It doesn't mean that I don't" She refilled their cups and continued. "After you left, I was angry at you for saying those things and just leaving. I tried to convince myself that what you felt wasn't really love, that you were just a kid infatuated with his teacher."

"When did you figure out that I meant what I said?"

"It wasn't a particular moment; little by little I began to accept it, you are the kind of man that means what he says, and I have never known you to exaggerate things. What took me longer to figure out were my own feelings, even now I am not completely sure what they are."

Shin opened the last bottle of sake and offered her some before he filled his cup.

"You know," she continued "I have never thought of myself as a very girly or romantic person, but for some reason I found myself carrying around one of your old homework papers. I touched it so often that it eventually fell apart, but what really unsettled me was the fact that when it was gone I felt lonely. I hated feeling that way, but I couldn't stop."

Kumiko looked so lost when she said those words. Shin wanted to do something to make her feel better, so he reached to the back of his neck and unclasped his thick gold chain. It was the last birthday present his grandfather had given him and he hadn't taken it off for the past ten years, but he wanted to ease the pain in her face, and he wanted her to have something that meant a lot to him.

"Give me your hand."

She complied, and Shin wrapped the gold chain three times around her delicate wrist before securing the clasp. He kissed the palm of her hand then looked up. Her tears were falling gently from her eyes, her body trembling, and he couldn't keep away from her. He leaned forward and took her into his arms, adjusting their positions until she was on his lap. He felt her body shaking and his shirt began getting wet from her tears.

"Please don't blow your nose on my shirt this time."

"Brat." She looked up and gave him a watery smile. "I won't need to; there is no water in my nose, just my eyes."

She was so close to him, her breath warm in his face that he couldn't resist the temptation. He leaned forward and kissed her the way he'd been dreaming about for so long, and she responded with a sigh, allowing him to deepen the kiss, her body softening against his.

He loved her.

She loved him.

But she wasn't ready to admit it.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for your patience. _

_Please enjoy this new chapter, and review when you reach the end._

**Chapter 4**

Kumiko exited her hotel room, luggage in hand. She didn't know when Shin had left, but it wasn't long before she woke up, the warmth of his body was still lingering on her skin. The necklace wrapped around her hand re-assuring her that the previous night hadn't been a dream. Well, that and the hangover that was making itself known.

The lobby of the hotel was mostly deserted, that was good, she planned on checking out and having a leisurely breakfast before all of the students woke up, but to her surprise, both Soka and Ryoga were already in the hotel's café when she walked in. They were talking quietly, probably scheming something that would get them in trouble again, but a pounding headache didn't let her work up the energy to investigate.

She sat at the table closest to a window, and ordered a cup of coffee and toast. The rich aroma of the coffee filled her senses before she actually saw it, and after every sip, the world seemed brighter and happier. Kyo-san had returned from America with a love for coffee, and had shared his enthusiasm for the brewed beans with the rest of the household. She never imagined that there were hundreds of varieties of coffee, and one day she would try them all or at least the ones sold in Japan.

Thinking of Kyo-san reminded Kumiko of the surprise Shin showed when she didn't know that he had kept in touch with Kyo-san. What exactly was going on? The men in her family weren't gossips, but there were very few secrets amongst them. Why would they keep from her something so, so…. Well, others would call it trivial, but to her the news would be earth changing, and all the guys would know that, so what was the reason for the secrecy? Something was definitely going on, and whatever the reason was, she would find out later today.

"Yamaguchi"

Kumiko snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at her student.

"Good morninig Soka."

"…..um"

"What is it?" he looked reluctant to talk and of course she jumped to conclusions. "Did any of the guys leave their rooms last night? Did they go looking for those guys from the warehouse?" She was mad….after everything that happened yesterday, it seemed that they went looking for revenge.

"No, it's nothing like that." He assured her then took a deep breath. "That guy from yesterday, Shin."

She nodded, prompting him to continue, her sudden adrenaline rush working better than the coffee.

"Is he a good guy, do you trust him?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

She looked down at her wrist, and the memory of the previous night tinted her cheeks with a slight blush. "Ummm."

Soka had the answer to that question. "I was just curious." He returned to his table, his conscience at ease.

[0]-[0]

Kumiko dropped her luggage on the floor and dragged herself to the sofa, glad that she was finally home. These school trips required all the teachers to be on duty 24hrs a day, and at the end of a week the only thing she desired was some peace and quiet.

"Welcome home, Ojou."

"Hi Tetsu, where is everyone?"

"Wakamatsu is returning from the U.S. today, Kyo-san and Minoru went to the airport to pick him up, they should be back soon. The boss is in the dojo; I'll go and tell him you're home."

Her only response was to nod, too tired to move; however her mind was still focused on the questions she wanted answered. She had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than simply keeping in touch.

Her stomach grumbled, but she wanted to take a quick shower before eating. Dragging herself to her bedroom, thoughts of a good meal propelling her to move, she grabbed shorts and a t-shirt and jumped in the shower, the warm water relaxed her muscles and cleared her mind a bit more.

The noise in the living room alerted her to the arrival of everyone else, so she finished her shower and got dressed in a hurry, only taking time to make sure that the chain around her wrist was still securely fastened.

"Welcome home, Kumiko" her grandfather gave her a warm hug.

"Welcome home, Ojou." Wakamatsu said.

She smiled at them. "Welcome home, Wakamatsu. Hope all went well with our brothers from America."

"Yes, everything is going as well as expected."

"and….did you bring it?"

He smiled and placed a package in front of her. "Open it"

The package contained several pounds of excellent coffee beans. Properly labeled and perfectly roasted. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I didn't know you loved coffee so much, when did this happen?" Wakamatsu looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"Since I introduced her to what a good cup of coffee really means." Kyo-san walked in from the dinning room. "The table is set, everyone please come and eat."

Tetsu and Minoru were placing the food on the table, and everyone took their places. A quick prayer of thanks was the only pause they took before they started on the meal.

"Kyou, when were you going to tell me that you have been keeping in touch with Shin?" Her straightforward question caught everyone by surprise, and Kyou's dinner had some trouble going down, causing him to cough uncontrollably, but she didn't take her eyes off him.

The men looked at each other, making her feel alert and nervous. Whatever was going on, she wasn't going to like it. "What is going on?"

"Should I bring the sake?" Tetsu asked

"I don't want any, just tell me." Her short temper was about to reach its limit.

"Bring it, I want it." Kyo-san told Tetsu, and then he turned to look at Kumiko. "You know what happened with the Yamaguchi-gumi in the U.S.?" Kyo-san looked at her until she nodded. "Do you also remember the part were Kami was kidnapped?"

Kyo told her of his accidental encounter with Shin in New York and the assignment that he accepted for the Ooedo Clan. The look of pride in his face was unmistakable; it was a look that was mirrored in the faces of all the men around her, and she couldn't help but feel proud as well.

"So, you are telling me that Shin has been accepted into the kumi?"

"Not yet." Kyo looked at his rice bowl, it had somehow gotten empty in during the telling of the story. He looked at Tetsu's untouched bowl and was tempted, but decided instead to sample the sashimi.

"What do you mean not yet?" Kumiko took a moment to control the two emotions that rose simultaneously, the first was relief because Shin could still walk away from this life and the second was anger because she felt he deserved to be welcomed into the clan. "You just said that Shin was on an assignment, a very important assignment that can affect the entire clan." Anger won.

"Yeah"

"So, then you left him in a dangerous situation without our support. Without making absolutely sure that if anything happened to him, we would destroy them?"

"Enough." Ryuichirou's deep voice cut through the tension on the table, he then looked at Kumiko with the eyes of a Sandaime, not those of a grandfather, a distinction she had learned long ago. "Do not make accusations without being completely aware of the situation. You should know that, and you should also know that neither Kyou nor I would leave Shin in the type of situation you are implying."

She lowered her eyes, but did not apologize.

"Please continue Kyo"

"Shin decided that this assignment would count as his trial to enter into the Ooedo clan, I told him that it wasn't necessary, that he had done plenty to earn his place. It was him that rescued Ojou when she was kidnapped, it was because of his assistance that we were able to rescue Shinohara, and he placed himself in front of Tamiku and Kami to protect them; any one of those actions would be proof enough for any man entering the kumi."

"So why did he want to do this?"

Kyou-san smiled, he could tell that Ojou was calm and listening to everything. Hopefully this misunderstanding wouldn't make things difficult between the two young people. "I asked him for a reason I should agree to his terms and he said, very straight forwardly, that he wasn't just any man entering the Ooedo Clan, he was a man that wanted to be worthy of Ojou, and he wanted his first step into her world to be his best."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her face warm up with a fierce blush when all the men at the table smiled at her knowingly. So she busied herself by refilling her and her grandfather's sake cup, and then passed the bottle to Kyo-san.

"And in less time than was expected, he accomplished that and more" The smile in Wakamatsu's face letting everyone know that he had an interesting tale to share. "Would you like the news from the Americans?"

"Something interesting happened, didn't it?" Kyo looked eagerly at Wakamatsu.

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the expectant faces around the table, every one of them focused on the news he was about to deliver. He refilled his cup with sake and began this story.

"As you all know, a few weeks ago the Sake ceremony with all of the kumi leaders took place. I was sitting to the right of Tamiku, with Shin sitting next to me, and all of the kumi leaders were sitting in front of us. Things were going smoothly, and we were almost done, when one of the guards throws open the doors and yells "The FBI has us surrounded." This of course causes a commotion, and every kumi member stands up and pulls out their guns, men are running around and everyone is panicked. Even Tamiku is sitting there with his eyes wide with indecision and I can only catch every third word that the men around me are speaking. Then, Shin stands up and says "stop" without yelling but in a strong firm voice; and every man in that room shuts up and turns to look at him, waiting for his command."

He took another drink and looked at the people on the table, everyone hanging on his every word. He smiled and continued. "So then he turns to Tamiku and tells him that everything is taken care of and with his permission he will proceed with the plan."

Wakamatsu shook his head in amusement. "After everything settled down, I found out that Tamiku had no idea what Shin wanted permission for, but his trust in him was absolute, so he just nodded. Shin only said, what he said, to make it clear to the kumi that he was following orders from the boss and they should all do as he instructed. That, of course had the fortunate side effect of making Tamiku look good."

"So then he calls for Kiyoshi and Takeshi..."

Kumiko interrupted. "Are these the same guys that brought the last report from Takumi?" She remembered those two well because they brought her a top of the line espresso machine, with the compliments of their boss. She assumed it was Tamiku, but hearing that they were assigned to Shin, it was probably him that sent it, and that thought brought a smile to her face.

"Yes. They are two of the guys we left in America for him." Wakamatsu answered, and continued with the story. "So he turns to look at the men in the room. Then he tells them, "If you begin to wave your guns around, this will end in disaster for both sides. Take out every weapon you have and give it to Takeshi and that includes knives." The men began complaining, but a look from Shin quieted all of them, then he continued with the instructions "also take off your jackets and ties, loosen your collars and roll up your shirt sleeves. Do it quickly, we only have a few minutes before the lights go out, and they break in."

Wakamatsu shifted in his seat, he had spent the whole day traveling in a cramped airplane seat and he was tired, but there was no way he would be permitted to stop in the middle of the story, so he continued. "When all of the weapons had left the room, Kiyoshi and a few other guys walked in with poker tables and folding chairs, and they set them out to look like a game was in progress, with various amounts of chips in front of every chair and a half played hand next to them. Then Shin said. "What we need to do is to make this entire meeting appear non-threatening to the FBI. We have to work in this country, and their government will not let us be if we go around killing their agents. Right now we have an opportunity to make things easier for us by making them look incompetent, and we will take it. This is no longer a meeting, it is a guy's poker night, and since we don't want to be charged with illegal gambling, all of the bets will be kept under $500 dollars."

Ryuchirou chuckled. "Shin was right; the police tend to double think any accusations against you if they were proven wrong before." He looked at Wakamatsu, prompting him to finish.

"Well, the men started to chuckle nervously, even Tamiku looked amused, and I could hardly keep a serious expression, but Shin didn't notice, he was looking at Hiromasa..."

"The ex-sumo wrestler from Osaka?" Kyo-san interrupted. "I thought he was in jail?"

"He was out on parole, but he wasn't supposed to leave the city. Shin knew this, and he told him that it was very likely that he would be sent straight to jail, unless he wanted to take the risk of hiding, but if he was found, some very uncomfortable questions would be asked. We could all tell that he wanted to hide, but he was smart enough to know that wasn't a good idea, so he took one of the chairs and said "If I have to go to jail then I want to pretend that I'm winning tonight." We all laughed, and Shin patted his shoulder, and we all began to take a seat."

Kumiko was amazed, she knew that Shin was smart, and she had a million questions bubbling in her, but she didn't interrupt.

"It happened exactly like Shin said." Wakamatsu continued. "We had just settled down when the lights went out and FBI broke through the doors and the windows, just like in the movies. There were bright lights blinding us, and about a hundred agents yelling "freeze" and "don't move" and us with our hands in the air, and a lot of us still holding on to the cards. When the lights finally came on again and they could see what we were doing, the agents all got quiet realizing their mistake and from the back one of the agents began cursing."

"So it worked." Kumiko said.

"Perfectly, not a single bullet fired, and Tamiku's lawyer was even able to get us an apology. They even ignored Hiromasa's presence, which you all know is hard to do."

They all laughed, and began trading news with Wakamatsu of the things that happened while he was away, but Kumiko sat still, thinking of the boy that Shin was, of the man that held her last night, of a possible kumi leader that could be greater than her grandfather, and the man that she could one day love.

She shook her head, took a deep breath, and finally admitted it.

He already possessed her heart and soul.


End file.
